RCO awards Diplomas, Certificates and Medals in cathedral ceremony
The Royal College of Organists has presented Diplomas and Certificates to 53 Members of the College, and awarded the Medal of the Royal College of Organists to three distinguished practitioners and scholars from the fields of organ and choral music.
The three Medal recipients honoured at the College’s Conferment of Diplomas ceremony at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday 12th March were:
• Prof. John Caldwell, in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ-related scholarship.
• Dr Christopher Robinson CVO, CBE in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ playing and choral conducting.
• Mr Thomas Trotter, in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ playing.
The RCO President, Dr Philip Moore, also announced that the RCO Medal had been awarded posthumously to Dr John Scott, a distinguished Fellow of the College whose untimely death occurred last year.
Dr Moore conferred Members of the College with Fellowship of the College (FRCO) and Associateship of the College (ARCO), and presented the Certificate (CertRCO).
The ceremony closed with the Ede & Ravenscroft Recital in which John Scott Whiteley, Organist Emeritus, York Minster, played music by J.S. Bach, Saint-Saëns, Verdin, MacMillan and Jackson. The work by Belgian composer Joris Verdin was a setting of the chorale ‘Mein Wallfahrt ich vollendet hab’ (‘I have completed my pilgrimage’). It was specially commissioned by the RCO for the Orgelbüchlein Project in memory of John Scott.
The vote of thanks was given, according to custom, by Ghislaine Reece-Trapp FRCO, the highest scoring winner of the Limpus Prize (in Summer 2015) and the Coventry Cathedral Recital Award.
In his Conferment address, Dr Moore said: “We have been most encouraged by having 53 new diploma holders in this examination year, a year of special significance, for 2016 sees the 150th anniversary of the first examination session.
“We have been examining without a break ever since; yet another pointer to the tremendous value that is placed on organ and choral music.”
And he added: “With your recent success you are laying firm foundations for the whole of your life, both personal and musical, to help fulfil your hopes and ambitions.
“‘Mozart,’ wrote Goethe, ‘is a human incarnation of the divine creative power.’ And he went on to write: ‘I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality, for music is the common language of all humanity.’
“This is the language to which you have dedicated your lives. Thank you for doing so; we wish you every possible success.”
The successful examination candidates and prize winners were:
THE DIPLOMA OF FELLOWSHIP
Summer 2015
Jonathan Bunney (Hayling Island)
William Fox (Hereford)
Laurence Lyndon-Jones (Chelmsford)
David Maw (Oxford)
Henry Meehan (Oxford)
Edward Picton-Turbervill (Alton)
Ghislaine Reece-Trapp (Oxford)
Daniel Soper (Bury St Edmunds)
Limpus Prize, Frederick Shinn Prize, and Durrant Prize: Ghislaine Reece-Trapp
Turpin Prize and Durrant Prize: William Fox
Dixon Prize: David Maw
Harding Prize and Durrant Prize: David Maw
Samuel Baker Prize: David Maw
Arnold Richardson Prize: David Maw
The Coventry Cathedral Recital Award 2015/2016: Ghislaine Reece-Trapp
Winter 2016
Gregory Drott (Cambridge)
Andrew Furniss (London)
Christopher Jacobson (Durham, North Carolina, USA)
Jeremy Lloyd (Oxted)
Joseph McHardy (Guildford)
Joseph Wicks (Salisbury)
John Wyatt (Watford)
Limpus Prize, Frederick Shinn Prize, and Durrant Prize: Joseph Wicks
Harding Prize and Durrant Prize: Joseph McHardy
THE DIPLOMA OF ASSOCIATESHIP
Summer 2015
Callum Alger (Portsmouth)
Harvey Brink (London)
Thomas Brockington (Princes Risborough)
Timothy Kwan (London)
George Lacey (York)
Anna Lapwood (Oxford)
Amanda Lockyer (Ipswich)
Gillian McNaughton (Guildford)
Benjamin Newlove (Manchester)
Georgina Sherriff (Truro)
Charles Warren (Beckenham)
Charles Whitham (Ilford)
Limpus Prize, Frederick Shinn Prize, and Durrant Prize: Anna Lapwood
Sawyer Prize and Durrant Prize: Benjamin Newlove
Lord St Audries Prize: Benjamin Newlove
Sowerbutts Prize and Durrant Prize: Anna Lapwood
Doris Wookey Prize: Benjamin Newlove
Samuel Baker Prize: Anna Lapwood
Winter 2016
Rebecca Baker (Oxford)
Michael Carter (Portsmouth)
Richard Cook (Worcester)
Matthew Edwards (Alloa)
Hannah Gill (London)
Claudia Grinnell (Wolverhampton)
Edward Hewes (Scarborough)
David Hinitt (London)
Ben Hulme (London)
Harry Jacques (Chepstow)
Nathaniel Keiller (Windsor)
Christopher Mair (London)
Daniel Mathieson (Oxford)
Rory Moules (Wells)
Jack Oades (Exeter)
Asher Oliver (Windsor)
David Rees (Maidstone)
David Rice (Cambridge)
Matthew Searles (Poitiers, France)
Aaron Shilson (Dover)
David Thomas (South Croydon)
Limpus Prize, Frederick Shinn Prize, and Durrant Prize: Daniel Mathieson
Sawyer Prize and Durrant Prize: Richard Cook and David Rice
Lord St Audries Prize: David Rees
Sowerbutts Prize and Durrant Prize: Daniel Mathieson
Doris Wookey Prize: Richard Cook
Dr F J Read Prize: Daniel Mathieson
THE CERTIFICATE
Summer 2015
Keith Foley (Bourne)
Luke Hayden (Chichester)
Winter 2016
William Briant (London)
Christopher Embrey (Leominster)
Matthew Kelley (Worcester)
The following Members were awarded the Dr John Birch Scholarship: Nathaniel Keiller ARCO, Charles Whitham ARCO, Jonathan Bunney FRCO, and Joseph McHardy FRCO.